More than 14,500 food professionals convened in Anaheim for the 2009 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo. IFT is a non-profit scientific society comprised of individual members in academia, government and industry.

A variety of new programs designed to expand both the educational and information-sharing value of the event were introduced this year, as noted below:

• An online professional networking system called networkNow! enabled attendees to identify other event participants with similar interests.

• Four Sunrise Sessions, offered at 7 a.m. on two separate convention days, and covering such topics as “DNA Techniques for Food Pathogens” and “Nanoscale Science for Food: A Primer,” provided those interested in maximizing their education experience with additional opportunities.

• The Keynote Session, featuring economic experts Todd Buchholz, a Harvard University economist and author of the book Market Shock: 9 Economic and Social Upheavals that Will Shake our Financial Future, and Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig, a CNN financial commentator and author of the book Winning the Global Game: A Strategy for Linking People and Profits, discussing the current state of the economy and its impact on the food industry, went interactive this year. Buchholz and Rosensweig built their presentation around questions that were submitted online in advance of the event, as well as during the actual session in Anaheim.

• A new Intellectual Property Exchange (IPEx) session was offered onsite in Anaheim, helping those with IP connect with those seeking innovative new technologies.

• Trend Tours were introduced, highlighting exhibiting companies providing products and services aligned around key industry topics of flavor and color innovation, ingredients for functional foods, naturally sourced, and weight management.

IFT's next Annual Meeting and Food Expo will be held in Chicago, July 17-21, 2010.

MULTI-GRAIN GOODNESS

Multi-grain muffins made with BriessBlend^™ Whole Grain Fine showed how the new blend from Briess Malt & Ingredients Co. makes it easier to formulate and process “good for you” foods. It is one of two BriessBlend multigrain blends launched at IFT. Both are made with pregelatinized grain particles that can be mixed directly into the dough. The finer grind particle blend mixes well into smoother doughs; the coarser grind particle blend delivers enhanced identity to breads, crackers and cookies.

Briess Malt & Ingredients Company
800 657 0806
www.briess.com

ONE-STOP SHOP

ADM introduced three new baked products at IFT. The date and almond breakfast bar featured VegeFull^™ navy bean powder, Prolite^® wheat protein isolate and NovaLipid^™ soybean oil. The Triple Chocolate brownie was made with Ambrosia^® chocolate chunks, De Zaan^® cocoa powder and topped with chocolate fudge. NutriSoy^® high-protein crisps and Fibersol^®-2 dietary soluble fiber made up the oats and crisp bar. The company also featured its Sweet ‘n’ Neat^® dry honey powder in a Sweet ‘n’ Crunchy sesame mix.

ADM
800 627 5843
www.adm.com

GLUTEN-FREE SOLUTIONS

National Starch Food Innovation introduced new gluten-free solutions for cookies, muffins and cakes that have the flavor, texture and visual appeal of gluten-containing products. The company has combined its long experience in producing gluten-free ingredients, such as corn, tapioca and rice, with its functional flour expertise to create ingredients that give the baking industry greater latitude in manufacturing gluten-free baked products.

National Starch Food Innovation
866 961 NATL
www.foodinnovation.com